Fallout
by lazetta croft
Summary: Anthony Edward Stark is dead.
1. Chapter 1

"Our beloved superhero, iron man...Tony Stark...is dead."

Pepper threw the television remote in anger.

* * *

_He was mean, Tony was mean, horrid, the baddest of them all._

_Pepper kicked an empty can across the road. It hit a man, who turned to curse but one look at Pepper's face and he promptly went away._

_Pepper was livid. So was Rhodey._

_"I mean, we lag behind him, miss classes for him, and then he pulls up this shit-"_

_"He doesn't need us Rhodey." Pepper said bitterly. The trio had a huge fight, and Tony had blown up. Ages of anger came spewing up. They say anger reveals the truth. _

_Pepper wouldn't talk to him. No sire._

_Her phone rang. Tony._

_She picked up after seven rings._

_"Don't you dare!" She screamed into the phone. Rhodey watched, arms crossed._

_"Pep, tell Rhodey- AHHHHH!"_

_Pepper's face fell._

_"-That I need help! Get to the armoury!" He sounded out of breath._

_"You said you didn't need us, didn't you?"_

_With that, she cut the call. _

_"What did he say?" _

_"I said he needed help."_

_"I am not helping him. Not now."_

* * *

_They were sitting in Rhodey's house, both Pepper and Rhodey, ignoring the calls._

_Rhodey's phone rang. He sighed._

_"RHODEY HELP!"_

_"You said you didn't-"_

_"There is no- AHHHH!- TIME FOR THIS!"_

_Rhodey bit his lip and looked at Pepper, worried._

_"Fine." Said Pepper, angrily, "But we still haven't forgiven you!" She shouted into the phone._

* * *

_Her computer screen was filled with notifications when she booted it up._

_"Implant energy overloading!"_

_"Immediate medical attention needed."_

_"Serious damage to armour chestplate!"_

_"Shit." Pepper cursed. "Rhodey he needs help."_

_Rhodey nodded and ran towards his armour._

_"Tony can you hear me?"_

_Nobody answered._

* * *

"We found Tony Stark in the iron man armour, without a helmet , severely electrocuted..."

Rhodey was sobbing, knees drawn to his chest. He felt empty, dead. His mother was already gone to retrieve the body.

If she suspected Rhodey knew about Tony being iron man, she didn't say.

In fact, she didn't say anything.

Pepper was crying too, eyes red and swollen by now.

* * *

Rhodey's mom wanted a quite funeral for her boy, but the authorities wouldn't have it. The people came and gave their condolences, as if they knew what she was going through.

She hadn't questioned Rhodey or Pepper, not yet, since they needed time to heal.

But they would have to face her.

* * *

Rhodey lay flowers on the grave, adding up to the thousand around Tony's grave. He gave no attempt to stop his tears.

"_RHODEY HELP!" He had said._

Rhodey fell to his knees and rested his head against the gravestone.

Pepper stood behind him.

"I didn't get a chance to forgive him.." She muttered, holding her tears, voice eerily calm.

Rhodey let out a shuddery breath.

Pepper's voice broke.

_"I didn't even get to say goodbye."_

**To be continued. Of course, it has to be, to show how pep and rhodey deal with their classmates and roberta.**


	2. Chapter 2

Rhodey walked alone on the pavement.

He knew he should've waited for Pepper, but he just couldn't bring himself to face her. She understood how he felt, hell, she felt the same guilt he was feeling. Rhodey wanted someone to come and tell him, it had been a prank, or it wasn't his fault.

He had needed his help.

And he hadn't helped him. Like a friend should've done. Were they that immature, they couldn't pull their differences aside for a single second?

It had been a week since Tony's death, and Rhodey still felt he couldn't face school. No; he felt like curling up in his mom's lap , and crying himself to death.

Tony was his friend. And Rhodey had abandoned him.

He clutched his head. And tried his best not to break down.

"Rhodey."

He turned and found Pepper. Her eyes were red and puffed, and she was quiet. Some part of Pepper had died with Tony.

Together they entered the school building.

A wave of silence swept through the crowd. Rhodey felt like an outcast, but it was better than having to face their questions.

Whitney Stane was more daring than the others , though. She ran forward (on her HEELS.) and engulfed Rhodey in a hug and began sobbing right in his shoulder.

Rhodey looked at Pepper.

"Did you know?" She whispered in his ear.

"What?"

"Did you know he was...iron man?"

"Yes." Pepper replied reluctantly.

Whitney pulled herself back.

"He saved my life..."

She didn't say whether he saved Whitney or madame Mask. For all she knew, they didn't know about Madame Mask.

But Rhodey knew Tony had saved Whitney. Because he actually cared about his friends. And protected them even if they turned out to be his enemy.

Happy peered from his locker and walked away. Rhonda and her twin brother were laughing and cackling like nothing was wrong with their life. But then, an enemy is better than a fake friend.

And they had lost on of their own.

By their own doing.

* * *

Pepper could've jumped in a chasm of lava by the end of the day.

The counselor had tried to talk to both her and Rhodey. They have stayed quiet during the whole session, but Pepper had heard the small "It was my fault." when Rhodey was heading back.

It had been their fault.

* * *

_"I was his guardian, Rhodey, I ought to know."_

_It stings in more ways they could've imagined._


End file.
